Empty
by Suspense Master
Summary: Keitaro Urashima has now been through so much, and it finally takes its toll on him.
1. Prologue: Hollow

It was another day for Keitaro Urashima, manager of Hinata Sou, an Inn that was changed into a dormitory for girls. Ever since day one, things have been chaotic and it was a miracle that he didn't lose his sanity and was also able to do his duties, but this day, was a day all that was going to change for him.

Everybody has a breaking point, no lie. Even though on the surface, Keitaro was happy because he wanted to make the girls happy... but when they started abusing him no reason, he kept that entire well-hidden deep inside of him but now it was taking its toll on him... everything. Hinata Sou, maintaining it, paying the bills, studying for Tokyo U, putting up with the girls, and even on the outside of the dorm, he tried his best, but people still had to degrade him.

For Aunt Haruka, so-called family to Keitaro, doesn't deserve to be called family. Family are supposed to defend one another if something were to happen and give encouragement to them on certain things; Haruka doesn't do that. She doesn't come to his defense, tells him to give the girls another chance when all they do is torture him, doesn't do anything about the abuse, and gives him no encouraging advice... the list goes on.

Grandma Hina is partially to blame... She should have told her grandson that she changed the Inn to a dorm. If she told him that, none of this would have ever happened.

Soon, it will all be nothing. Tending at his managerial duties, he was cleaning the hot springs. But the same thing happens... the girls entered, Naru and Motoko thought he was doing something perverted and sent him off to the sky... that was it for him.

Going through the sky, his face was blank; he landed in the city on the pavement. Many pedestrians rushed over to help him. "Sir, are you okay?" asked a man, shaking him awake. When Keitaro awoke, he said nothing.

"Hang on, I'm going to call an ambulance," said the man. Keitaro still said nothing, just continued to lay there, face devoid of emotion or expression. Minutes later, the ringing of the sirens were audible and paramedics lifted him up and placed him inside the vehicle, closed the doors and drove away to the hospital.

Inside, paramedics asked him what had happened, but he still didn't say anything on the way to the hospital.

* * *

BlackWaltz: This is just a prologue, and I'm sorry if it was short. Please review. 


	2. Chapter I: The Condition

_**Catatonic: Appearing mentally stupefied, unresponsive, and motionless, or almost so; seemingly unaware of one's environment.

* * *

**_

The shrill of the ambulances' sirens made it to the hospital and Keitaro was pulled out of the back of the vehicle and rushed inside. Doctors and nurses tried to ask him what was wrong, but he still remained silent... like he was in a trance. After running various tests of him, Doctor Ryu Makino knew what the man, who he found out was Keitaro Urashima, was diagnosed with, but how would his family take it if they knew?

"Doctor, what should we do?" asked a nurse.

"Take him to one of the rooms, but please be careful with him."

Taking Keitaro's hand, the nurse said to him, "Come on, I'll take you to a room." His upper body slowly rose up as she and the doctor placed him in a wheelchair, placing his feet on the foot rests of the chair and his arms were in place then slowly wheeled him away to a hospital room to get rest.

At the room, they placed him on the bed after getting him into a gown and removing his shoes. Keitaros' expression was still the same. "Call the nurse if you need anything, Keitaro," said Ryu. The man didn't say anything; both the doctor and nurse sighed and closed the door, leaving Keitaro alone in the room.

Ryu went the desk and grabbed the phone, dialing a number to somebody that will be devastated to hear what he had to say.

* * *

Back at Hinata Sou, in Haruakas' teashop, she bid farewell to the last of her customers and began to tidy up the place. Just as she was about to finish up, the phone rang. Going to it and picking up the receiver, she spoke, "Hello, Hinata teashop."

_**"Hello, this is Ryu Makino at Hinata Hospital... are you Haruka ****Urashima?"**_

"That's me," she said, "did something happen?"

_**"We have your nephew, Keitaro ****Urashima hospitalized here with a condition you may want to come and hear about, Miss Haruka."**_

Her heart skipped a beat and she felt herself go numb. What had happened to her nephew? Was he all right?_ **"Miss Haruka?"**_

_"_I'm on my way." She hung up the phone and closed up the shop then raced out to her car and drove hastily to the hospital. "Keitaro... if anything happens to you, I would never forgive myself," she said while driving.

* * *

Back at the hospital, Keitaro was still in his room, still in the same position; the nurse checked on him frequently, obviously worried about him since all he did was stare into space, he didn't even realize where he was or that anybody was talking to him. On the outside of the hospital, Haruaks' car parked in the parking lot. She got out and rushed inside the building.

"Can I help you, ma'am?"

"Yes, I'm here to see my nephew Keitaro Urashima."

The lady nodded and said, "Yes, he's in room one ten, but Doctor Ryu Makino would like to speak to you about your nephew's condition." When that was said, the elderly man walked up to Haruka and the two greeted. "Miss Haruka Urashima, I am sorry to tell you that the condition your nephew is in. It's something that I have seen for the first time in all my years of medical research."

"Is it bad, doctor?"

He nodded. "Yes, Haruka... it is. It's called catatonia. It's a mental disorder that can be caused by drugs, disorders, psychical abuse, or anything else. For Keitaro, now that he has it, he can no longer speak or move, and his movements are now going to be waxy, meaning his limbs will sway back and forth."

As the doctor told her all this, Haruka was in complete shock! Why did this have to happen to Keitaro, the one person who was manager of Hinata Apartments and who Grandma Hina entrusted to run and maintain it, who was now catatonic!

As the doctor finished explaining to her, she asked him, "May I see him alone?"

"Yes, of course." He opened the door to his room and she walked inside, wanting to cry for the scene that fell before her eyes. He just laid there, no emotion on his face but still blinking his eyes from time to time. The doctor closed the door, leaving the two alone, and Haruka just wanted to break down and cry, seeing the way her nephew now was, but she had to be strong for him.

Going up his the chair that was beside him, she sat down in front of him and smiled. "Hi, Keitaro. It's me, Aunt Haruka," she said to him but got no reaction, just blinking his eyes was the response she got.

Wanting to not believe that this was really happening, she said to him, "You know, you can call me 'Aunt Haruka' from now on, I won't mind if you do." She smiled at him, but there was no reaction. "Keitaro, it's me, your aunt," she said, gently nudging him on the shoulder. She waved her hand in front of his face then snapped her fingers, but nothing worked.

She yelled at him but what only made a doctor and a nurse come into the room. Haruka explained to them that she tried to get him to talk, but the doctors reassured her that her nephew was really in a catatonic state. Feeling the water in her eyes, she cried and flung herself on Keitaros' body, hugging him tightly.

"I'm sorry for not being a real family to you, Keitaro... I'm so sorry that it made you end up this way... please, just say something for me... please," she cried, looking at his face and all he did was blink but nothing else. Doctor Ryu came in saw the scene; he laid a supportive hand on the elder Urashima's shoulder as she continued to weep. After a few minutes of letting it all out, she asked Ryu, "Is it all right if I take him home?"

He nodded; they all got Keitaro out of the bed, into his normal clothes and back into the wheelchair then Haruka wheeled him away to be taken back home.

Getting back to Hinata Sou, the ambulance stopped and Haruka got out and two men carried Keitaro out of the place while a third got out the wheelchair. They began to take him up the steps and when they were done, they set him down in the chair, placing his feet off the ground and onto the pedals. Haruka thanked them as did they and left, but she knew that with Keitaro now like this, life at Hinata Sou would definitely not be the same.

Opening the door and wheeling her nephew a little inside, she then closed it and gently placed her hand on his back. His legs moved him out of the chair as she guided him to the kitchen, his arms swaying from side to side, his movement waxy. Haruka wanted to cry again... how would she explain this to Grandma Hina?

In the kitchen, Naru saw him come in. "Where were you, Keitaro? You were supposed to clean the hot spring!!"

He said nothing to her as Haruka pulled out a chair and guided Keitaro to it and set him down. "I'll be right back with some dinner, Keitaro." As she left, his head turned in the direction she went then back to the way it was. "Urashima, Naru asked you a question and you answer her," said Motoko.

Nothing came from him. "Let me try," said Kitsune. She went up to him, brushing her breast against his shoulder while giving him a seductive look... nothing but his still-blinking eyes. Kitsune stopped and backed up and looked at him then nudged him on the shoulder.

"Keitaro, are you all right?" asked Su, waving his hand in front of him. His eyes darted towards her and she jumped back, gazing on her for a few seconds before returning the way they were. Naru had seen enough of this, as did the others, minus Shinobu, who knew something was wrong with him. "ANSWER US, YOU BAKA!" she yelled at him, shaking his shoulders. Haruka came in with some food, seeing what Naru was doing. "Naru, stop it!!! Leave him alone!" she yelled.

"What wrong with the loser, why won't he say anything?" asked Sarah.

"I'll tell you after he eats."

Setting the food in front of him, she said, to him, softly, "Keitaro... the food's in front of you." His arms moved and his head tilted down and he began to eat what was in front of him; the girls just watched, thinking he might have been just putting on an act. "Okay, Urashima, nice act you did," said Motoko.

"Yeah, you can stop already," said Sarah.

But he just continued, eating his food like nobody was there. Haruka fought the urge to cry again like in the hospital... if this was permanent, she would surely never forgive herself—ever! After eating, she touched his back and he got up and they walked out of the kitchen. "All of you, come with me and wait with him in the living room, now," she said.

So they did. What she was going to tell them would affect their lives for life...

* * *

Black Waltz: Another chapter for you... and thank you all for giving this story positive feedback, I appreciate it. Hope I got the symptoms of a catatonic person correct.

Please review or there will be no next chapter.


	3. Chapter II: The People

Black Waltz: Thank you very much for all your reviews, it makes me feel good on the inside, it does. Anyway, here's chapter two.

* * *

Haruka led her catatonic nephew, as well as the girls, to the living room. She went ahead and sat her nephew down her first while the others watched on... For Haruka, she was willing to make up for not being a real family to her nephew. Once everybody was seated, she took a deep breath and exhaled. "When I went to the doctors' today, he told me about Keitaros' condition, which I was appalled by... it's called catatonia. It has a way of surfacing to people through drug use, mental problems or physical abuse."

"How bad is it?" asked Shinobu.

"Very bad," she said. "Basically, he can no longer speak or move, meaning that he's now living inside his head."

"Um... Haruka, can you explain it another way?" asked Sarah.

She sighed. Then said, "You know what a panic room is, right?" They shook their heads. "A panic room is a place where people go to be safe for when invaders invade their house. The person on the outside can't get in and only the person on the inside can get out of the room, knowing when it's safe to come out. So that's how Keitaro is now... his mind is inside its panic room."

In an instant, all of the air of Hinata-Sou drained. Shinobu turned pale and fainted; Su was concerned about this... But Naru, Kitsune, Motoko and Sara just laughed at this. Haruka looked at them. "What the hell is funny, you four?"

"C'mon, Haruka, you expect us to believe that?" asked Naru.

"Yes... Urashima was just putting on an act a few minutes ago," said Motoko.

Harukas' blood was starting to boil. Just how thick-headed were those girls?! "But why didn't he get a nosebleed when Kitsune was flirting with him, can you answer that?"

"..." The girls were silent, till Kitsune came up with an answer. "Maybe I wasn't trying hard enough. Just watch, I'll bring him back out of his so-called 'catatonic state'" she said, going up to him. She gave it her all... Kitsune rubbed her breasts against him, she batted her eyelashes, she flirted with him and the result was nothing. She blinked in shock.

"Um... well, he seems unfazed by Kitsune," said Motoko.

Next was Sarahs' turn. Going up to him, she tried to scare him, snapped her fingers in front of him, waved her hand, clapped, but it didn't work. Haruka looked at the others. "Anybody else thinks he's playing around?" asked Haruka.

They were silent while Shinobu was still out cold. The sound of the front door opened and footsteps were audible against the floor as a small, elderly woman appeared in the room. "Hello, Haruka... I heard about what had happened," said the lady.

"Grandma, glad you make it... It seems the girls were in denial," said Haruka.

Hina nodded and walked over to Keitaro, patting him on the arm to let him know she was here; his head turned, but he didn't speak. Fighting back the urge to cry, Hina said, while looking at Keitaro, "I am to blame for this. If I had only told him about the inn being turned into a dorm, none of this would have happened."

"I share the same regret," said Haruka, pulling out a smoke to calm her nerves.

"Have you phoned his family about this?" asked Hina.

"I called them an hour ago... they were in the same state of shock. They're on their way." The teashop owner looked at the girls. "And they are not happy with what you did to their son." The girls began to get nervous, knowing that the storm was going to get worse. "Oh, and Motoko... I know you're older sister would have wanted to know so I asked her to come and see him as well," said Haruka, giving off an evil grin.

Motoko sweated. This was bad news, her sister was coming and if she found out that Keitaro was catatonic, she would be in a world of pain! Not wanting to face her sister's wrath, she went up to her catatonic manager and tried to talk to him. "Urashima, please say something. If you do, I'll be more feminine... I'll even not hurt you anymore when you have accidents."

Then Kitsune came to him. "Yeah, and I'll give up drinking, pay you back all the money I got from you and do the work around the dorm and I won't ask for no more money, I promise."

"Please answer, Keitaro, please," Naru said. "I'll help you more often with studying for Tokyo U and help with house work, and I won't hit you anymore or call you a pervert."

"Big brother, I won't experiment on you, and I'll play without using my inventions. Instead, we can play ball, tag, water guns, anything you want," said Su.

"Yeah, Keitaro," Sarah said, trying to smile. "And I won't mess you up when you work on artifacts for papa, I'll even help you and even be a great friend to you without hurting you, count on that!"

All this was not registered in Keitaros' head... his ears were closed off the real world. Haruka saw the scene unfold and chuckled coldly. "Give it up, you girls were the reason he's now like this. If you hadn't made his life a living hell, this wouldn't have happened." More footsteps ran toward the room and Keitaro's parents appeared. His mother latched onto him, crying her eyes out as his father soothed her as best he could. "We didn't want you to live in the past, son, we just wanted you to move on and forget about the promise to go to Tokyo University. What am I saying, you can't even hear me or know that I'm here, hugging onto you." She let go and wept onto her husbands' shoulder and he comforted her.

And speak of the devil, Motoko's older sister walked into the room, greeting Haruka, Grandma Hina and Keitaro's mom and dad. Ignoring her younger sister, Tsuruko went over to Keitaro and touched his shoulder, but he didn't say anything; she sighed. "I am sorry for nephew, Haruka-san," Tsuruko said.

"Thank you, it really means a lot to me."

She smiled, but that smile was gone when she turned her gaze to the four girls, her icy eyes burning into them, especially her younger sister. "Look at you... look at all you," she spoke coldly, "You five disgust me in my eyes, hurting an innocent man who has done nothing wrong but tried to give you happiness. What do you give him in return... nothing but pain and misery." Tsuruko turned her gaze to her sister. "You, my dear Motoko, are a disgrace to our ancestors, our school, and our family. We punish those who have done wrong, but you use your techniques to hurt your manager... you think it's fun."

"No, sister, I—"

"Silence!" she roared which made Motoko cower in fear. "You are filth to me, you dishonorable piece of trash. For you actions, you are hereby relinquished of your sword as well as your honor and name to the Shinmei School, and you are no longer a part of our family anymore."

Motoko gasped... her sister was not only taking away the sword and her honor, but also her name to the school and rejected to her family. "Sister—"

"I am not you're sister, Motoko. You will now address to me as Tsuruko, understood?"

Motoko nodded. "Tsuruko, you can't mean that... I have no where else to go. Please, I can undo what has been done, I can!"

She shook her head, eyes still cold. "No, Motoko... it is too late for that." She turned to all five of them. "Your remainder of your stay is until tomorrow so I advise you to make the best of it."

"You can't do that!" shouted Naru.

"I most certainly can. Now that I have been given been given Keitaro-san's managerial duties, I can do as I please. Oh, and there's somebody else here to see you, somebody named Amara Su." When that was said, Su saw her older sister walk into the room; her eyes were the same coldness that was on Tsurukos'.

"Kaolla Su, why would you hurt your manager, do you think it's fun to hurt people by testing your dumb inventions on them? Do you know that you're the reason he had to pay for the damages of Hinata Apartments?"

"The same goes for you, Motoko," Tsuruko said, "you are just as bad as she is. All of you girls will now face punishment for what you have done."

After the girls were chewed out by their sisters, Amara told Su that she didn't want her to return back home... ever. "You can rot out in the street for all I care," she said. The tension was beginning to fade away. Haruka looked over at Shinobu, who was still out cold, and sighed. "That girl... somebody please wake her up."

Keitaro's mom decided to wake her and she sat down beside Keitaro, gently patting his hand to comfort him.

"Like I said, girls... you have until tomorrow, so make your last stay here a good one," said Tsuruko as she and Amara left, along with Keitaro's parents, Aunt Haruka, and Keitaro, who was helped by Shinobu. This left the girls alone in the room with their suffering and misery to keep them company.

* * *

Black Waltz: There you go another chapter... plenty of dark in it. Oh, and one more thing... Sieg15, if you're reading this, then this is what I'm doing since you didn't make those girls suffer like I wanted to in your story **'Mirrors: Fragments of ****Keitaro****'**.

See ya later, my friends!


	4. Chapter III: The Punishment

Black Waltz: Arigato for all the great reviews. Keep them coming and I will provide you with more of this fantastic story! With nothing else to say, please enjoy reading.

* * *

After the meeting, Haruka led her nephew up to his room, where he just sat on the floor in front of his table. "Well, guess that takes care of everything. Do you need anything, nephew? Some food, something to drink?" asked Haruka.

She was only met with silence as he turned his head to her then back to the way it was. Her face saddened as she gently sighed but tried to put on a cheerful face. "Well, if you need anything, I'll be in my shop, so call me when you need something, okay?"

Keitaro said nothing as she closed the door and walked off. For the girls, they were each making ways for Keitaro to forgive them, so they all pitched in and with each of them going to do things that would hopefully break him from his spell. After getting the things that they needed, they, minus Shinobu, all went to his room and opened the door.

"Hi, Uras—I mean, Keitaro," Motoko greeted, coming inside the room with the others.

They all sat down at his table and looked at him... he was a statue, lifeless, no expression. "We all wanted to give you something. Kitsune would like to go first," said Naru.

The fox came up to him with a wad of cash in her hands. "This is no longer my money, it's yours, Keitaro, and I'm giving it all back to you... here you go." She held out her hand, wanting for him to take it but he didn't. Sara and Su gently grabbed his arms and opened his hands; Kitsune put the money inside his palms and closed them.

"That's a lot of money, Keitaro... you'd feel a lot better," said Kitsune, but he didn't say anything; his arms just remained in the same position till she had to put them down the way they were. "Well, um, next is Motoko, and she has something special to show you."

Motoko, dressed in a one of Harukas' outfits, stood up and did a three-sixty degree spin, showing the dress to him. "Do you like it, Keitaro? I asked Haruka if I could have it and she said yes, but I'm also going to try other clothing as well," she smiled.

"..." Nothing came from him. Next, Sara tried, apologizing to him as well as giving him an artifact that her papa had given to her as a present; it still didn't work. Naru apologized to him, even telling him she truly loved him, but it was the same, even with Su, who gave him one of her own made Mecha-Tama's. "Keitaro, please," she cried, "What did we do wrong? We want to make things right."

"You just want to make things go back to the way they were," said Tsuruko, who was standing in the doorway, along with Haruka and Amara Su.

"No, we—"

"Shut up," Haruka spat coldly.

"You didn't care about his feelings; you were the ones who caused him this pain. His heart is now black. Deep inside, he hated you all when all you did was giving him abuse. With each punch, his hatred amplified even more, but he held it back. Now he's filled with nothing but bitterness, rage, and hate... and whose fault is that?"

The girls were silent. They knew that what Tsuruko had said to them to true... no, _very true, indeed_. Each tormentor looked at him, thinking only one thing... How could a man like Keitaro Urashima be filled with rage? Could it be that Tsuruko was right, that he kept it concealed deep inside him so nobody would notice on the surface?

Was it true that he really had a breaking point?

"Also, girls," Granny Hina said, coming to the doorway, holding a piece of paper, "you may want to look at this." She handed them the paper and they all crowded by it. They gasped in shock... it was from the bank, which said that they were planning to seize control of Hinata House!

"But when did this happen?" asked Kitsune.

"I found it just yesterday by the bank. They said they were planning to seize Hinata House from Keitaro, unless he came up with the money. How fortunate, he did, if he didn't... well, you could kiss this place goodbye."

"I think," Amalla started, "the reason you girls came to this place was because you were too scared to face the problems you were having. Naru, you didn't want to go back to your parents to face them because you thought they didn't love you, Motoko, you were too scared to inherit your school because you were afraid you'd be beaten by Tsuruko, Su, you didn't want to go back home because you knew that if you did, you'd be forced to marry Lamba. You know damn well you can't stay a kid forever, Kaolla Su!"

"Another thing, Naru," Haruka said, "why are you friends with Kitsune? Do you know she's just keeping you away from you having to face your problems? You call that friendship... THAT'S PATHETIC! She's supposed to give you support, but she doesn't give you a fucking thing! She's just a lazy, alcoholic whore who thinks that life has no consequences, well, open your fucking eyes, bitch... it doesn't!"

Haruka shoulders heaved up and down while Amalla and Tsuruko gave her a pat on the back to calm her down. She did feel good inside, finally be able to let it all out. While she was catching her breath, the girls well all in open-mouthed shock at what the elder Urashima said to them. Another thing that was all too true. Before the girls could speak, Tsuruko said, "Take yourselves back to your rooms and don't let me see your faces again."

* * *

Like soldiers, the girls followed her orders and scurried out of his room, leaving the women alone with their manager. Amalla closed the door and the three all sat down at Keitaro's table, looking at him. "I cannot believe she would do such a thing," Tsuruko said, referring to her former sister.

"The same goes for me," said Amalla.

Haruka sighed, holding her head in her hands. "Why didn't I do something sooner? If I had done something, he wouldn't be like this and I wouldn't be blaming myself again and again for all the things he went through."

"Haruka, it's not your fault. Please don't blame yourself for what happened," Tsuruko said, trying to comfort her.

"She's right, Haruka... those girls are to blame, not you."

"But I want to be a better family to him. I never did anything good for him... not once!"

"Then this is your chance," Tsuruko said. "Now that the girls are gone, you, Shinobu, Mutsumi, his sister, and Hina can all be trying to help him out of his state of sleep."

She took a moment of silence then nodded at this, smiling slightly. As they stayed with Keitaro, the girls were all in their own rooms, thinking about what had transpired in that room when they were talking. All the things they had said were true, and each girl decided that they were right, and there was no denying it by their stubbornness.

Morning came and the girls were woken up, ate breakfast and went to the common room like Haruka, Amalla, and Tsuruko had told them. There was an eerie blanket of silence flowing through the room as not one person said a single word... well, until Motoko broke it.

"So, um, how is Keitaro?"

Tsuruko looked at her. "What do you care, vile monster?"

Motoko cringed at the word 'monster'. "I just wanted to know if he's feeling okay."

"He's not... I just came back from feeding him his breakfast this morning," said Haruka.

About an hour had passed, and the girls were ordered to pack up their bags and the three women set them outside. They had a few words to say to them; first Tsuruko went up to her former sister and said, "Motoko, hand over your sword." Motoko gave it to her and Tsuruko snatched it away. "You pathetic excuse for a sister... I should have done to what you had done to Keitaro-san in the past. I also informed our school about you, and they don't want a dishonorable warrior back there, same with my family." She then went back to Haruka and Amalla went up, holding a small statue.

"Kaolla Su, you are a disgrace to the Mol-mol family as well as to me. If Lamba were here and I told him everything, he would be _very_ disappointed in you, also you do not deserve to be called a princess for the sins you had committed on Keitaro-san's life. With this artifact, you will be forever changed, never to return to your silly, childish ways."

Holding the statue up to Kaolla, it glowed red, shining brightly as the girls had to cover their eyes. When its work was done, Amalla put down the statue and Kaolla now stood in her adult form! "Now you remain like that for rest of time, never to hurt an innocent person ever again," said Amalla and went back to the others.

Lastly, Haruka went up to them, gazing at them with cold eyes like the other day. "What you five did to my nephew is unforgiveable... for when you die, God will not have mercy on your souls for the sins you have committed." Just then, a man who looked like an older version of Keitaro came into the building; he bowed at the women, asking them to see his favorite worker, which they told him where he was.

Minutes passed and his footsteps echoed and he looked at the women. "Do you still have the papers, Seta?" asked Haruka.

He nodded and showed them, each filled out with Tsuruko's name on them. Sarah looked at them and gasped. Seta looked down at her. "I never should have taken you in and promised your mother. I cannot believe that you would hurt my best worker like this, Sarah, and I don't want anything to do with you now."

"But Papa, I didn't mean to do anything to him!"

"Shut up, you worthless brat! You meant to try to get him fired from his job, you always hurt him wether it was at his work or here! I don't know what to do with you; you're nothing but a violent, spoiled, selfish brat... that's all you'll ever be."

After that, Tsuruko was now in care of Sarah. "Don't think I'll treat you kindly," she hissed.

Naru and Kitsune were also taken care of and Haruka said only one thing to them after throwing the three girls onto the ground... "Go to Hell." And she slammed the door and the girls, who were once residence of Hinata Sou, were no more, and they fell down and cried.

* * *

Black Waltz: There you go, another chapter with some good punishments. I am definately _not _afraid to punish those girls, because they deserve it. Please review.

Ja ne


	5. Chapter IV: The Aftermath

_**Black Waltz**__**: **_Hello, all. Sorry for not updating, I've been busy trying to get my book together, which I finally got back into writing. Thanks again for all the reviews.

* * *

After crying for about thirty minutes or so, the girls all got up off the floor. Wiping their tears, they were still too shocked to say anything, well, not Motoko. "Well, um, what are we supposed to do now?" They were all silent, and that's when Kitsune remembered Haruka's words about Naru... she was right, Kitsune was nothing but an alcoholic con artist with a gambling problem, and Naru was thinking the exact same thing and why she would want to be friends with somebody who can't control themselves.

"Naru, you're no friend of mine anymore," said Kitsune.

This put Naru in shock. Why on earth would she say something like that? "Kitsune, what do you mean?"

"I mean why would I want to be friends with somebody who has to use me in order to get rid of guys who are swooning over you?! Back in high school, you had guys all over you, but instead of telling them yourself that you were sick of them, you ran to me like a scared child and forced me to dump them for you! Did you ever thinking of _trying_ to get rid of them yourself instead of crying to me?! Well, did you?!"

Naru said nothing as put her head down in shame, feeling everything pound at her like she had did to Keitaro. She began to cry, the tears leaking from the sides of her eyes, cascading down her face, but Kitsune continued. "When Mei came over here to get you to make up with your family, you should have gone, that way all you had to do was ask them if they loved you, and speaking of love, how hard is it for you to return Keitaros' feelings, huh? How hard is it to return his feelings like he always showed you, what the fuck are you so scared of? When he had his accidents, you never even tried to talk things out with, all you cared about was beating the living shit out of him, that's all!

Getting ready to leave, Kitsune turned and walked off, but somebody hugged her from behind, sobbing. "Please, Kitsune, please don't leave me! Just give me another chance; I can change for the good of it!"

Kitsune, disgusted with Narus' pathetic whining, shoved her down to the ground. "Get off! You can't change your ways, because I know you like I know myself! I haven't seen you not once try to become a different person, you just like being who you are, a homicidal-loving Neanderthal!"

Ouch... that's smarts. Su and Motoko could only watch in shock, as they had never seen this side of the fox before... not ever. This was something new to them, and to Naru, as she continued to get chewed up by her former friend Kitsune. After she was done, Kitsune left, not caring where she was going, as long as it was far away from her and the others. Su and Motoko looked down at Naru and just left, not looking back.

For Naru, she just curled up in the fetal position and cried, crying out all the wrong things that she had done in her life, in Kitsune's life... in Keitaro's life.

* * *

The others then went their separate ways when they were in the city, saying to one another that they won't ever want to see each other again, as it would not be good as all they do is bring pain and misery to other people. Su, on the other, couldn't believe that she was now an adult permanently. She thought that the statues magic had to wear off sometime, thinking it was a trick, but she remembered her former sister's words... the magic was permanent and she would never, _never_ go back to the way she used to be.

When her sister looked down at her, she felt ashamed, disgusted, and embarrassed to have somebody be given the title of princess to the Molmol Kingdom, somebody who is related to her, but has the mind of stupid five year-old who doesn't know how to act in front of other people. This was Su's punishment... she couldn't go back to being a kid, she couldn't go back to Hinata Apartments, and she couldn't go back to her country, because she was exiled from it, never to return to her people.

Walking herself along the street, she came across and old bike, seeing as it was thrown away by some people, and it was still in good condition. Taking it, she then went with it and looked for a new place she could call home.

And with Motoko, she tried on a low-cut skirt, with a red strapless top, high-heels, lipstick, gloss, blush, jewelry, and other things that would make her feminine. She looked at herself in the mirror of the store and blushed... but this was the new her, since the old her was nothing but a wannabe samurai with the looks of a man instead of a woman. Motoko then paid for the stuff and went on her way, carrying her new purse with her. Still carrying her old clothes, she went to an alley, seeing a garbage can.

She dumped her hamaka and sandals in there. She saw an old gas can and picked it up, hearing the swooshing sound inside it. Motoko poured the gasoline in the can, on her clothes and threw the empty thing away. Also, she found some matches, with only one left. Lighting it, she tossed the lit match into the trash can, starting a fire on the inside.

The once proud, honorable warrior watched her clothes burn in the trash. Trash... that's what Tsuruko had called her, a worthless, dishonorable piece of trash, and she knew it to be true, seeing as all she did was abuse her manager for the small accidents, even when he did nothing wrong, she never used her head! She was just like Naru...

* * *

Back at Hinata House, the adults were trying to tend to Keitaro. Haruka had also phoned his sister about what had happened, and she was fuming so bad, she would make an atomic bomb look like a water balloon. But as Haruka had explained to her, the girls were gone, evicted from Hinata House, but Kanako said that the girls deserved more, but Hina told her that what Haruka, Tsuruko, and Amalla did was the best thing they could. Kanako nodded solemnly and was led to the living room where her big brother was at.

Inside, he was watching TV with his aunt, well she was watching TV while he just sat there, blinking from time to time. When Haruka saw the black-clothed girl, she turned off the television and got up, hugging her; she returned it. Kanako sat down next to him while Kuro floated and sat on his head. "Keitaro, are you okay, meow?" asked the flying black cat.

Like many times, he said nothing while the cat just lay on his head. For Haruka, she knew that having Amara and Tsuruko here was a good idea so she allowed them to stay for as long as they pleased, which they accepted her generous offer. Soon, Mutsumi showed up, presented her watermelons to the others as gifts; Haruka smiled... that girl and her watermelons.

Taking a seat beside Keitaro, she greeted him, gently stroking his hand, asking him what was wrong, but Haruka had told her, "He can't speak."

"Oh, dear, did something happen?"

"No... Well, it's hard to explain. He's like a statue now. I came to get him from the doctors yesterday and they told me what was wrong, and now I want to make up for all the things I haven't done for him."

"Oh, my, but where are the others, do they know about this?"

When Mutsumi said that, Harukas' face hardened to stone. "No, as a matter of fact, they don't live here anymore. Tsuruko, Amara, and I made sure that the girls faced punishment, and now, who knows where they are now."

"They should've been sent to jail instead!" Kanako blared out. "They should've been sent to jail where they wouldn't have to hurt my big brother ever again. They might even try to break in here and..."

"And what, Kanako?" Haruka said, raising her eyebrow, "Even if they did try to break in here, Tsuruko and I would make sure that they don't try anything funny. I understand your concern for your brother; we all feel sad for what happened, but like Grandma Hina told you, it was the best we could do."

"But do Naru's parents know about this?"

Haruka nodded, "They do, and when she tries to do back home, let's just say things aren't going to be pretty. Speaking of which, I wonder how Tsuruko's doing with Sarah."

* * *

At the Shinmei School, Tsuruko dragged a wailing and squirming Sarah along the floor. When her students were done with their daily training regiments, she got some buckets, towels, mops, and other cleaning supplies and put them in front of the little girl.

"I want this entire place to shine bright while I am away. If I don't find this place clean when I get back, you'll be sleeping out on the grass with nothing but a blanket!" Tsuruko said to Sarah.

Sarah merely nodded. "Now get to work!"

Tsuruko left the room, leaving Sarah to do the work. Taking one of the mops, she dunked it into the bucket and began to clean the room...

Minutes passed and she still was only half done; her whole body had hurt. The door slid open and Tsuruko walked into the room, and Sarah froze. "Why haven't you finished your work?" she spoke with ice.

"Because... I... I..." She was beginning to get scared. This was why Seta gave up trying to raise her, because all she did was hurt his favorite part-time worker. Tears slipped down her face but Tsuruko saw no pity for it. "Get out... I changed my mind, you won't be using a blanket... you'll be on the grass all night."

"Please, no, I can finish... watch, I'll finish for you." Just like that, Sarah was getting back to work while Tsuruko had her eyes on her at all times. But being only a child, her little body couldn't take it and she collapsed to the floor in an exhaustion while Tsuruko just shook her head. "You're just a brat, Sarah. You have no responsibility for anything... all you ever care about is your father; you didn't want Keitaro to get close to him because then you thought that Seta would forget about you. But now that he's given up on you, I'll make sure to discipline you like I discipline my students so that you are well-behaved like a child like you should be."

Sarah looked at her new mother and locked eyes with her. Her stomach spoke for her, saying that it was hungry. "I see you're hungry?"

Sarah nodded. "If you want your dinner, you're going to have to work for it. I want all of my students uniforms washed by hand, and if you are not done by the time I have finished making dinner, then you will get nothing to eat, is that understood?"

Again, she nodded and the kendo mistress led the girl to the laundry room where she showed her all she needed to do.

In town, Kitsune was roaming around; trying to seduce men for money, but it wouldn't work. When rumor that Keitaro was catatonic spread, most people had known him by reputation as manager of Hinata Sou, and they also knew about the fox, so they were at their best to avoid her seductions and other things. All the fox could do was go into an alleyway and sulk on the ground.

With Naru, she was going back to her home, hoping that her parents would understand that she was now evicted from Hinata Sou. But she couldn't help but wonder about Kitsunes' words. Sure, she was scared to admit her feelings to other people, but it was the way she was. Reaching her door, she found it unlocked. "I know they always keep it locked, but why is it like this?" she asked herself.

Going inside, she found the entire place mostly empty, save for the couch, the fridge, the dishes and other kitchen utensils and the table. Searching around the house, she found her parents' rooms empty as well as Meis'.

Heading back to the kitchen, she saw a note on the table; picked it up and read it.

"Naru," she read it to herself. "After hearing about what you had done to your manager, we've decided that we no longer have a daughter anymore. We can't take care of someone who is a moody, emotional, temper mental person, so we have all left, and we hope that this will teach you a lesson about what you have done to Keitaro, who we pray is doing well. Goodbye forever, your family."

Her eyes went wide, and she dropped the note in shock. Her family had left her all alone without telling her where they went! "No... Please, I'm sorry. Please, I'll change... just come back and I'll change; I'll be a better person..." She slowly sank to her knees as she cried and like before, she crawled in a fertile position and began to suck her thumb in fright.

This was just the begging to for the girls' punishment as Keitaro continues to recover from his catatonic state. For the girls, they were all sorry for what they had done, but it was too late to undo the damage that had been done.

* * *

_**BlackWaltz:**_ Well, there you, another chapter finished for you... hope you enjoy it, and I apologize for the long wait.

Please review and tell me what you think!


	6. Chapter V: The People, Pt II

_**Black Waltz**__**:**_ Hello, again. Back with another update, since I'm back in gear with writing, so expect more from me. You can also call me evil if you want for what I did in the other chapter, whatever you want. I did it because I wanted to, because I loved it. But after you guys gave me some tips on how to make it right, I took your advice. Anyway, I had done research on this type of thing the found it to be rather appealing to myself and decided to add it into it. Without nothing more to say, take your time reading.

* * *

The residents of Hinata Sou were busy with Keitaro, doing two things... trying to cope with him being catatonic and trying to bring him out of it. Amara came into the room, bringing in some soothing hot tea. She set the tray down and sat beside Haruka. "How is he?"

"Still the same, I'm afraid, but I just know he'll come out of it."

Amara nodded her head. "He has to, or he could end up like this for the rest of his life. If I would've known something like this would happen, I would have dragged Su back home and forced her to stay. But I'm also sure that your government knows about her nuclear reactor?"

Haruka looked stunned by this. Since when did Kaolla Su have a freakin' nuclear reactor hidden in her room? "No, I'm afraid not."

"Well our government knows about it and they've told yours about it, and they are unhappy about her smuggling foreign nuclear material into this country. But don't worry, Haruka, my people will see to it that it is properly removed from Hinata Sou and back to where it belongs. You have my word."

Haruka nodded at the two continued to drink their tea while Keitaro didn't touch... he just sat there, doing nothing but blinking his eyes. At some point, Mutsumi came in with some freshly sliced watermelon. She set down the plate in front of the women and Keitaro and sat down with them. "Keitaro?" she asked, and he turned his head to face her. "Would you like some? It's fresh."

But he didn't saying anything as he turned away from her. Haruka leaned sideward to her and said, "I'm sure he would like some, just try and feed him." She did, and he was obedient and chewed on it; sometimes accidently biting on the seeds, which Mutsumi had to get out of his mouth by hand. They all ate in silence while they asked him questions, trying to get him to say something, but he wouldn't.

"It's time for his bath," Haruka said, "Kanako, would you undress your brother and get him ready?"

"Sure, Haruka," she said. "Come on, big brother... time for get out of those clothes."

Gently she took him by his arm and he lifted himself off the chair and acted as his guide to the changing room to get undressed. As the two older women went to get the things ready in the hot spring, they talked. "Haruka-san, thank you for letting me stay here, I really appreciate it," said Amara.

"Sure, besides, having you here makes it feel even better. By the way, about that nuclear reactor thing earlier, I never noticed her to have one of those."

"I always did, considering of all the fanatical and bizarre experiments and inventions that she does, she was going to need some sort of power supply, so she thought it would be funny if she took nuclear material from her country and brought it here to Hinata Apartments. Speaking of which, they should remove the reactor in about a week or so."

"Good, because I don't want to be framed for some sort of terrorist threat that they might be thinking was my doing. I just watch over that place, I don't own it!"

"I know... she shouldn't been having one of those in the first place!"

Haruka only nodded. With Kanako, she was finished undressing her big brother and wrapped him in a towel and led him to the hot spring where Haruka and Amara gently took hold of him and set him down in the water; then Kanako began to lather his head with the shampoo while he just stood still.

"I remember a long time ago you used to wash my hair when I was little, big brother. I would be sitting on the stones and you would just move your fingers through my hair... and I would just smile and giggle... now I'm doing it to you, and you don't smile or giggle... you just... stay... still... and... and..." she trailed off, feeling tears in her eyes.

Haruka softly took hold of her and hugged her as she cried, muttering the words, "Why did he end up like this, Haruka? Why?" But she just hugged him as she continued to cry; Amara saw the scene and couldn't help but wipe a tear from her left eye. "Kanako... can you go inside and fix up your brother some dinner, I'm sure he'd like that."

She pulled out of Harukas' embrace and nodded her face still moist with her tears and went inside to the kitchen to help Shinobu make something, leaving the girls to tend to the catatonic man, bathing him and rinsing his hair out. When they were done, they pulled him out and led him to his room to change.

In the kitchen, Kanako was making a big bowel of Miso soup with some pork-fried rice and some vegetables while Shinobu was helping with the food. The silence was starting to get to the poor petite chef, so she tried to make conversation with the black-clad girl.

"You care a lot for Keitaro, don't you?"

"Of course I do! I've cared about him ever since we were little kids. We used to play her all the time and now look what that old bag of bones did to my big brother... she makes him manager and those ogres use him as a cheap labor, without helping him!"

Shinobu understood that. There were times when she wanted to tell the girls it was an accident, but they wouldn't listen, namely Naru and Motoko. For those two, they thought it would be a good idea to keep Shinobu away from seeing other people... that's the reason why they were so uptight around other men being with her, especially young boys.

"I know, Kanako. I wanted to say something when sempai had his accidents, but they wouldn't let me, it's like they didn't want me to say anything."

"Why didn't you try and call the police and file charges against them?"

"I was afraid of what they might say. They would say something like, 'Did Keitaro make you do this?' or 'How dare Keitaro take advantage of you!'"

"Listen, I understand that they were your friends, but you have to understand, Shinobu, that they were the ones who caused my brother to be what he is now. Would you want to be friends with them anymore after what they did to my brother?"

Shinobu shook her head. "Then there's your answer. Now c'mon, my big brother is hungry and he needs to eat."

The cook smiled and helped Kanako with the food, brining it to the table; setting it down. "Big brother, I have your food. Would you like me to feed it you?"

"I'm sure Keitaro would love that, Kanako," Haruka said, smiling.

She set the tray on the seat next to Keitaro and sat down beside him, reaching for the chopsticks; then Kanako began to feed him, putting it near his lips so he would know the food was near him. Keitaro opened his mouth as she put the food inside and he began to chew. Haruka saw this and thought this to herself.

'_It's just like taking care of an infant._'

It was indeed like feeding a toddler, but this is way it was, since the girls did this to him. After he finished eating, Kanako wiped his mouth with the napkin and said to him, smiling, "Did you enjoy your meal, big brother?"

"..."

The only thing Kanako could do was give him a hug, to know that she deeply cared for him, and then Haruka joined it. After the hug, Kanako kissed his forehead. "I'll keep wishing that you get better, big brother, I won't leave your side, no matter what... I promise."

Sobbing heavily on his shoulder, she hugged him as hard as she could, and crying for about five minutes then wiped her tears. Soon, they all sat around, trying to get him to talk, but it still wasn't the same; the news spread, and Kentaro, Haruka's worker at her teashop, as well as Haitani and Shirai, Keitaro's friends, heard about what had happened. Kentaro came in and went to the living room, greeting the others. He looked at Keitaro and talked to him, "Keitaro, if you can hear me, I just want to say you did a good thing to Naru... she doesn't deserve anybody, man, she only thinks about herself. All in all, I'm just sorry you had to turn out this way." Kentaro then laid a supportive hand on his shoulder. "If you ever need anything, man, I'll here for you, I swear it... You and I are sort of like brothers, you know?"

Keitaro looked at his hand for a moment and blinked; Kentaro patted his shoulder and soon dropped off some gifts for the women as well as for Keitaro. "Thank you, child," said Grandma Hina. "I'm sure you're going to be a great friend to help Keitaro on his recovery."

"I'll do my best, ma'am."

He left while Keitaro just stayed in that position. Night soon came and the women then took Keitaro up to his room, laying him down on his futon, covering him up. Then, Haruka leaned forward, planting a kiss on his forehead, telling him goodnight; they left while closing the door to his room.

On the outside, Keitaro didn't show anything, but on the inside... he smiled. He felt happy to have people care for him for the first time in his life.

* * *

_**Black Waltz**__**: **_Well, there you go, but you people are going to make me have another anxiety attack if you keep asking me when I'll update, and I know you don't want that to happen, so keep cool, okay?

Peace out.


End file.
